Why Are Toyota Supras From 1994 Selling for $170K?

Two models have recently sold for record prices at auction

By Alex Lauer

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13 March 2019

Back in January, a 1994 Toyota Supra Turbo was auctioned off for $121K, which most likely made it the most expensive used Supra ever sold. But at the time, car folks balked, with responses ranging from “get out” to “absurd” to “kind of hurting my intelligence.”

Thankfully, a couple weeks later Toyota announced the new Supra and everyone forgot this momentary bout of madness. (A brand new one, by the way, will only cost you $50K.)

Then, the unthinkable happened: another fourth-generation '94 Toyota Supra hit the auction block — this time through Sotheby’s at Amelia Island instead of, uh, BringATrailer.com — and sold for an even more ludicrous $173,600. Was it gold-plated? Was it owned by Jerry Seinfeld? Was it used in The Fast and the Furious? No. It’s just a stock Twin Turbo Targa [pictured here] in really good condition with only 11,200 miles on the odometer.

Toyota Supra (8 images)

So what gives? Why are these seemingly outdated sports cars suddenly fetching record prices? And if you’re reading this and for some reason have one in similar condition in a garage somewhere, should you give Sotheby’s a ring?

As Jalopnik pointed out in January, the Mk IV Supra is, in technical terms, “an awesome, superhero tuner car from the ‘90s.” But many people who fell in love with the model were either too young to buy it then, or too broke. That love has since morphed into nostalgia, and nowadays nostalgia sells better than sex.

Another point Sotheby’s makes is that because “many Supras were driven hard in their early lives, finding a well-preserved and highly original example can be difficult.” So for anyone out there with a low-mileage ‘93 to ‘02 Supra sitting around, it’s looking like now is the time to sell, and I’m sure the various auction houses would love to hear from you.

After all, that $173K included a hefty buyer's premium, but that's didn't stop them.